Kriti Mehrotra
In what can only be described as a riveting documentary series, Netflix’s ‘Mr. Good: Cop or Crook?’ offers an insight into the life of Norway’s once-celebrated law enforcement officer Eirik Jensen. He was actually considered the very best in his field, that is, until he was accused of corruption and drug trafficking in 2014 for his role in the hashish smuggling league led by Gjermund Cappelen. So now that we know the latter was not only a lifelong career criminal but also Eirik’s closest confidential informant/friend of over two decades, let’s find out more about him, shall we?
Who is Gjermund Cappelen?
Gjermund Erik Cappelen (born Gjermund Maack Thorud in 1966) got involved with drugs at quite an early age because of life on the streets, as implied in the intriguing Nordic docuseries. He was thus arrested several times in the 1980s and 1990s on related charges, only for the one in 1993 driving him to agree to become a snitch in order to save himself from further troubles. That’s when he first came across the unorthodox yet prominent policeman Eirik Jensen, who was almost immediately made his handler — the duo frankly got on well owing to their similar personalities.
Gjermund reportedly did help the Oslo Police Department solve a couple of crucial high-profile cases, but what’s more important to note is that he began smuggling hashish (or hash) that same year. Whether it be Spain, Morocco, Denmark, or The Netherlands, he imported the dried narcotic from everywhere, and he claims to have done so with the help of Eirik, which the latter vehemently denies. Though the fact they got really tight over the years, with the cop even taking Gjermund to rehab at one point and their constant communication, did invariably seem strange to a few.
We should mention that since Gjermund had managed to stay under the radar, an investigation into his crimes didn’t begin until 2000, and even then, his informant position saved him. The leading Asker and Bærum Department wasn’t happy about this, especially when they noticed he’d started laundering his excess money by 2006, so they commenced a secret operation, as per the documentary. Therefore, once a surveillance team caught him making a massive deal red-handed, he was arrested on December 19, 2013, which then led to Eirik’s apprehension in late February 2014.
Where is Gjermund Cappelen Now?
Gjermund Cappelen was eventually indicted by the authorities for trafficking or attempting to traffic nearly 16.8 tonnes of hashish in about 80 installments — it was so much that it arrived in large trucks. He pleaded guilty to the same without any fuss during his and Eirik’s joint court proceeding in 2017, only to follow it up with a detailed testimony against the former official to back his every claim. The judge hence sentenced Gjermund to 15 years behind bars, giving him a 30% reduction from the expected penalty for having confessed to his role and testifying against his accomplices.
However, around the summer of 2020, upon the final verdict of the appeal made by Eirik Jensen concerning their complex matter, Gjermund was resentenced to a mere 13 years’ incarceration. The 55-year-old smuggling mastermind is thus serving time in prison at the moment, but from what we can tell, he will be eligible for parole in August 2022. In other words, it appears as if he can have his complete freedom in just two months from now.
Read More: Where is Eirik Jensen’s Girlfriend Now?
